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Former Eugene Resident Guilty of Criminal Copyright Infringement
January 30, 2001
Kristine Olson, United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, announced that Jeffrey Alan Stockton pled guilty today in the United States District Court in Eugene, Oregon, before United States District Judge Michael R. Hogan, to criminal copyright infringement. Mr. Stockton is 21 years of age and is an August 2000 graduate of the University of Oregon with a degree in journalism. He now resides in Honolulu, Hawaii. In pleading guilty, Mr. Stockton admitted that he willfully infringed copyrights of Adobe Systems Inc. for purposes of private financial gain and that the commission of this offense resulted in a retail loss to Adobe Systems Inc. of $490,644.00. Mr. Stockton is scheduled to be sentenced for the offense in the United States District Court in Eugene, Oregon on April 17, 2001, at 11:00 a.m.The case arose while Mr. Stockton was a student in the School of Journalism at the University of Oregon in December of 1999. At that time the Eugene Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation became aware that he was selling copyrighted software on the Internet without the permission of the copyright holder, Adobe Systems Inc. On January 13, 2000, after an undercover investigation confirmed that Mr. Stockton, using an alias, was selling pirated software on the Internet, search warrants were served on his apartment, his post office box, his car, and a bank account. Pirated software, $4,600.00 in cash, and a substantial amount of computer equipment was seized from his apartment. Over $9,000.00 was also seized from his bank account.
In pleading guilty, Mr. Stockton agreed that his sentence should be enhanced because of the level of planning involved in the copyright infringement. He also agreed to pay full restitution to Adobe Systems Inc. and to forfeit a substantial amount of computer equipment which was used in the infringement of the copyrights. The $13,786.19 in seized cash has already been forfeited to the United States and will be remitted to Adobe Systems as part of Mr. Stockton’s restitution obligation. Mr. Stockton is subject to a five-year term of imprisonment, a $250,000.00 fine, and a three-year period of supervision when released from prison.
The case resulted from an investigation undertaken by the Eugene Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. For further information, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at 541-465-6771.
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